10 Reasons Why Being A 1980s Baby Was The Absolute Best

It’s now been well-established that people born between 1977-1982 are a special breed. A microgeneration called the Xennials (I prefer Oregon Trail generation or WB generation but whatevs), we were the last kids to grow up without using daily technology and the first adults to enter the world with it. We straddle the old ways and the new, and yeah, we tend to wax nostalgic about our childhoods.

#9. We hung out at the roller skating rink

Kids still do this in places like the Midwest, where time moves slower, but only for official skating parties while your parents sit in the lounge and watch you try to hold hands with your crush. Lame.

#8. There were no reality shows

Sure, I get hooked into those no good, awful, terrible excuses for television like everyone else, but that doesn’t mean I like it. Back in the day, we had only quality programming with proper lessons at the end!

#4. Our fashion was unique

#3. We actually talked on the phone

A friend or a crush, you’d have to actually pick up a phone and dial them to see what was up, how they were doing, or if they liked you. Sure, it seems terrifying now, but until you’ve walked the gauntlet, you haven’t lived.

#2. We could leave the house alone

There was no such term as “free-range parenting” because it was just called parenting. Leave after breakfast, come back for lunch (or call if you’re going to a friend’s house) and then in for a bath when the streetlights came on.